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Where the Trail Leads; [Naoki/Akari]
Topic Started: Mar 3 2018, 09:27 AM (571 Views)
Miharu Yoshikuni
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Takes place a week after Rooftop Musical

For the rest of the week and the next, Naoki wouldn't be able to find Akari at the rooftop again. In fact, if he had ever tried to catch her after classes, he'd miss her on account of her going home right after. Whether she was busy or intentionally avoiding him, one couldn't say for sure, but it was clear that at least at school, he wouldn't be able to finish the little game they had started playing.

Gathering information on Akari Asakura, however, wouldn't be that hard for him. Her family, after all, would sometimes make the news as a result of their philanthropy. Online, he might find a bit about her performing at private shows. Granted the images he'd find would look quite different from the pink-haired girl he knew now, and show a girl in fancy, but often conservative clothing, curly chestnut brown hair in a bow, and a violin, not singing. He might also find news about her deceased younger sister, though the cause of death would never be divulged and merely be labeled "an accident".

Her residence was a little offways from the apartment complexes and a little more into territory where upper class houses were. Akari's own house was closer to a manor, if ever, complete with a driveway, a wrought iron fence, fountains and flowers, a large front door, and balconies decorating the upper floors. The architecture in itself was rather traditional and took a lot of inspiration from rustic Italian influence. A wall around the manor blocked an entrance to the garden courtyard which had a stone walkway, smooth stone benches, statues, and a gazebo. It was somewhere Akari would sometimes frequent in order to practice her violin in her free time, and since it was now a warmer season, she went there eve more often past dinner time.

While guards often patrolled the outside of the manor and the front, the courtyard was usually a little more abandoned, with Joseph only sometimes checking in on her. Mildred was usually the one to do so, but after helping Akari run away the last time she had been taken off waiting on Akari, and to doing other tasks.

Sunday evening, Akari was sitting in the courtyard wearing a simple white dress with a ruffled skirt, and a dark green cardigan over it. Accessory-wise, she wore nothing save emerald teardrop pendant adorned her neck. Since she wasn't at school, she hadn't bothered straightening her hair, as she had to make her look more like Shiori. Now that she was at home, the curls formed naturally, just barely touching her shoulders, and she had styled it in a half-ponytail with her typical green ribbon. Most importantly, she had reverted back to her typical glass eyes and once again had her ivory irises.

Sitting alone in the moonlight on one of the benches, the violin next to her shone in its open case. Yet, Akari couldn't be bothered to touch it. She sighed. A part of her sincerely worried if she'd never feel like playing violin again. She could try, but she didn't even have the will to touch it anymore.

"What am I even anymore if I can't play violin?" she murmured to herself. "Have I become a husk of anything I ever was?"
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Mar 3 2018, 10:28 AM.
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Chidarake
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After Akari's sudden disappearance, Naoki did his best to try and catch her again, but everywhere he looked at school she was nowhere to be found. He managed to get her address though, and after a quick search using the computers at school, started to realize why she wanted to keep things hidden from him. However, the things he found only raised more questions, and he found no issues with any of it, so he decided it was time to jump down the rabbit hole.

After finding her home, he first noticed the security. Of course, they were a fairly rich family, so the security was natural. But it meant there was no way he was getting in easily. So instead he spent the next few days observing; figuring out the security, watching the patterns of the guards, and putting together a plan. He even went so far as to hop the fence and sneak around to the courtyard area, where to his surprise and pleasure, he found a secret entrance that would let him pass through the wall. No doubt something Akari had made use of. He simply made a note of it and then left, though, as he didn't want to get caught until he was fully prepared.

Sunday evening, he finalized his plan and put it into motion. After waiting for the moment during the guards' usual patrol that would give him the most time, he sprinted out of his hiding spot and hopped the fence. He headed straight for the small entrance to the courtyard he had discovered, quietly making his way inside. And there in front of him, albeit with a slightly different hair style, was most definitely the girl he was looking for. Not wanting to scare her into calling the guards, he snuck up as quietly as he could, just barely able to make out the words she spoke to herself. Perfect.

"A blank slate, not a husk. When you lose everything, you gain the chance to become anything," Naoki quietly said when he felt he was close enough that only she would hear him. He then stopped, preparing himself to book it out of there if she should raise an alarm. Granted, his plan involved leaving as soon as possible anyway, but he was hoping to convince her to join him willingly.
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Akari almost jumped at the sound of a voice reflexively, but upon processing who it belonged to, she let out a gasp of disbelief.

"Gambler!" she blurted out in surprise. And then, correcting herself, "I mean...Wakahisa-san. This is definitely a surprise."

She listened warily for the signs of other people suddenly dropping in on them. When she heard none, she focused her attention back to Naoki and smiled, pleased.

"Your perseverance astounds me. How on earth did you ever find me? Let alone, sneak in?"

Akari was genuinely curious what odd person would manage to make it past the guards in an effort of trying to find her. A part of her was slightly scared of the possibility that Naoki indeed dig information on her, but another part did feel slightly excited at the aspect of someone capable of doing so just to visit her. Either way, there was no escaping the situation now. All she could do was see where this was going to go.
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Mar 3 2018, 02:56 PM.
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Chidarake
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Naoki smirked a bit at her first remark. If that was the first thing to pop into her head, she must have really been avoiding him. It was a little satisfying to get such a surprised response.

After the surprise, though, came the obvious question, along with what he considered a compliment. "Just that, perseverance. As for how I found you? Well, you're not exactly that hard to find. As for your other question, I can give you an answer on one condition. Sneak out of here with me and open the door that you offered last time we met. Or, stay here, and we'll play by your rules until the guards find me and I get arrested. What's your choice, Shiori?" he asked, smiling as he walked over to grab her hand, an offer to help her stand up and join him. His grip was loose, though, making it obvious that it was her decision.

He felt a little bad about forcing the decision on her, but if he was going to explain himself, it would have to be a full explanation. He hoped she would honor the same unspoken agreement if she were to join him. If she didn't, though, he didn't plan on being arrested, despite his words; at the first sign of trouble, he'd disappear before they even knew he was there. There was no telling how their interaction would go from there.

Either way, he honestly hoped she would join him. He was curious about a lot of things, especially as to how a girl such as herself would give him even the slightest interest.
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Akari couldn't help but giggle. He was definitely gutsy, she'd give him that. She'd stop though, when he offered to help her sneak out. She was a little surprised to here it. After all, she had gotten in enough trouble running away one time--a second time might not bode well with her parents. On the other hand, this wasn't entirely new for her. When she still went to the ruins, she almost went nightly in order to fight shadows, and with Mildred's help no one was the wiser.

She contemplated on it. By now her parents would have turned in; they had a flight early next morning bound for Italy. She supposed someone might eventually check if she was sleeping, but it was also as unlikely considering how Akari had managed to "behave" for the past three months. The fact that Naoki managed to call her "Shiori" instead of Akari, made it even harder to deny the request. While it was, in a way, pretense, she took it as his way of respecting her as the person he already knew her for at Aoi Hana, rather than who she really was. She couldn't say many people took her for more than who she was in terms of her situation, and not the other way around.

"Why is it I have a hard time saying no to you?" she said teasingly. "It makes me wonder if you have that effect on every girl you meet."
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Mar 3 2018, 05:45 PM.
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Akari avoided making a choice for the moment, instead seeming to ask herself a question. Naoki was worried that they didn't really have time to sit and beat around the bush like last time, but her last comment made him stop and think for a moment.

Does he have that kind of effect on every girl he meets?

Sure, he could spout a few flirty lines, but he doubted anyone would fall for them... especially with his more recent interactions with females, both of which came to mind as people who would be more likely to drag him around by the nose than to 'have a hard time saying no.'

So, after a noticeable pause of thought, he gave his reply. "Mm, maybe it's just my natural charm? Though it doesn't seem to work on everyone, the last few times I've interacted with girls were train wrecks. It was me who had a hard time saying no to them," he said, unable to stifle a small laugh, though he managed to keep it quiet. "Should I take that as a yes, then? Because even though it may not seem like it, barging in unannounced and all, I do have a plan. And if you want to come back, I can make it as if you had never left. What do you think? Sounds like a good deal, right?" he said playfully, giving her hand a very slight tug before loosening his grip again.

He was pushing, but it was still her call to make. As she said before, that was the nature of their friendship up to this point, so he didn't want to force it to change if she didn't accept. At the same time though, he kind of wished she'd just play the princess, shut up, and follow him. Time was not on their side in a situation like this, and he kept an ear open and an eye to the door and windows just in case. Not that he made much of a prince, but still...
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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Akari couldn't help but giggle at Naoki's answer. She had to admit she was interested in knowing just why those interactions were trainwrecks, but she decided not to push it. Naoki tried to confirm if she was agreeing, to which she nodded her head.

"Just so you know, this won't be the first time I've snuck out of my house or wandered off from supervision," she said teasingly. "Granted, my friend almost had his neck snapped when he led me into an alleyway, so for your sake, I hope you can keep your word."

With that, Akari would get up with his help. She temporarily paused as if to grab her violin, but stopped midway. Aside from being something extra to carry, she felt that she needed some more time apart from Henrietta before continuing on. She'd turn back to Naoki and smile.

"You're free to lead the way."

Just as Akari said this, Naoki would spot a faint spot of light in the distance. Someone was turning the corner with their flashlight. If he had any plans to boot it, now was the time.
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The threat of getting his neck snapped was not a pleasant thought, but he was pretty sure they wouldn't resort to murder one over a simple night time getaway. So he happily helped her up as she seemed to make her decision, but he definitely noticed her hesitation when it came to the violin. He wondered if she'd be fine with just leaving it here like this, but something about it was definitely bothering her. She did get frustrated and almost slam it into its case last time, after all. Should he grab it anyway and bring it along, just in case? Or would she get upset at him for doing so?

As he had these thoughts though, he spotted the light of a flashlight rounding the corner. Shit, his window was almost up, so there was no time to think. Instinct took over, telling him that leaving the violin behind would make it more obvious that Akari had left, and since there wasn't any time to hide it, he had to take it. So he grabbed it with his free hand as quietly as he could before rushing Akari towards the courtyard exit, ready to make his excuses later if need be. As long as she could keep up, there was a part of the fence just outside that would lead off into a covered area where he could lose any pursuers, and once they made it over, he planned to run.

Lack of vision tended to make it hard for one to hop a fence, though. "We gotta hurry, there's someone coming. Think you can jump the fence and keep up?" he asked quietly as they reached the secret exit and began pushing his way through.
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Miharu Yoshikuni
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When Naoki asked her about climbing over the fence, she bobbed her head.

"I should be able to manage," she said perkily.

Okay, in normal circumstances, she wouldn't be able to, but Akari had a little cheat up her sleeve. She would temporarily give Naoki her white stick for walking, and climb up after him. Little did he know, she was using Iofiel to be able to see where she was grasping, and to support herself. Cautiously, she'd grab onto one part of the fence, and then the next, using her prosthetic legs to keep her steady. She was also glad that her times in the ruins had helped her develop her upper body strength as it had prompted her to exercise and learn fencing with Mildred.

Akari would manage to make it over and slide down on the other side, making sure to keep her legs closed and her skirt from flying up as she did. Even in these sort of things, being ladylike had become a habit.

They'd make it just as the faint light would make it over to the courtyard where a man scanned around the area. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, and proceeded to go return back.

Akari would quietly giggle and then turn to Naoki.

"Alright, signore," she said. "On what magical adventure do you plan to take me on?"
Edited by Miharu Yoshikuni, Mar 5 2018, 09:40 AM.
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After shifting his grip so that he could hold both the handle of the violin case and the walking stick in his left hand, he quickly followed Akari up the fence. It was more difficult with one hand, but he still managed to make it over a few seconds after she did, dropping down next to her and handing back the walking stick before leading her behind a nearby bush as the light moved past. No alarm was raised, so it seems like they made it out clean.

"Nicely done, I know grown men who can't climb fences to save their lives," he commented, as she then asked where they were going. Her use of 'signore' made his lip curl into a smile though; he had looked up a good bit more than just information about her. The two main things being the song that had been stuck in his head ever since she sang it at the cafe, and the other being musicals. If he was to keep her interested and entertained, it looks like the second had come in handy.

"Welcome to the phantom's labyrinth, my angel of music," he said in a joking tone, once again grabbing her hand with his free one and leading her off into the streets. He knew of a nearby house that had recently been vacated, which they arrived at after a few short minutes of jogging. Her hand free once more, Akari would hear the sound of metal against metal, the click of a lock opening, and the creaking sound of a door opening as Naoki worked his way through the entrance and then ushered her inside.
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